Tuesday, July 1, 2014

JUNE Goals Recap + JULY Goals

I say this every month, but this time I mean it, where did this month go? I'm ready for someone to invent a "time stand still contraption" that will make everything just slooooow down! I guess I will just have to wait... *sigh*

Anyway, this month was pretty great, since I was finally out of school for the summer (first full month of being out) I was really able to focus on myself + my goals, my family, and my blog and I really think it has paid off!

Goal #1

Workout 5 days a week. Somewhat completed! Since the CHAARG Booty Camp just started last Monday, I worked out 5 days in a row last week -- which is awesome! But the weeks before that I usually worked out about 2-3 times a week... not the best. This month, with the CHAARG Booty Camp in full swing, I will be working out 5-6 days a week + if I miss a day I am dedicated to making it up!

Goal #2

Drink 8 ounces of water before every meal. Completed! This was a super easy goal for me to accomplish. Since I work a desk job I always have my water bottle with me + am constantly refilling it. I definitely noticed a difference in my appetite if I chugged my 8 ounces before and let myself sit before stuffing myself with my lunch or dinner. I also noticed that days that the first thing I put into my body was water, that I felt lighter, happier + more awake throughout the entire day! Everyone should definitely try this -- I promise you will feel a difference!

Goal #3

Read at least 1 chapter of my book a night. Somewhat completed! - The beginning of the month started off with following this religiously, but towards the middle/end of the month I started to get busy and would end up not getting to bed until late, and reading for another 30-45 minutes was the last thing I wanted to do. It makes me sad because I loved reading something uplifting and light before bed [I am currently on the Happiness Project + loving it!] it puts my mind at ease and helps me wake up happier, so I definitely am striving to get back to this.

Goal #4

Run 3 days a week. - Did not complete! Uhh.... every. darn. month... I think I found the problem. It's the heat -- I hate the heat. I can't do it, it gives me anxiety thinking about running around in 90+ degree weather after work. Yep, don't like it. I think subconsciously my brain will not let me "remember" to run because it knows I'll die [have I mentioned I'm a tad overdramatic?]. Yup, uh huh, that's it. Fun fact about me -- I absolutely love running in the cold, mid to late December and early January are my favorite times to run because it is so dreadfully cold that I cannot feel any of my limbs. And that's the way I like it. When I was training for my Half Marathon in January I ran 8 miles one day and when I was done, I was barely sweating and felt completely fine. That's the kind of running I like! Maybe I will have to accept that this goal will not get accomplished until its less deadly outside...

Goal #5

Practice Yoga every Sunday. - Somewhat Completed! For the first 2 weeks I did this flawlessly, + loved it + started to see a difference in my flexibility. But then, my Sundays got busy, and I didn't get back until late. This Sunday I was on the road for 7 hours then had meetings, so... this is a somewhat completed goal.

Goal #6

Work on extending my blog + photographs. - Completed! I'm going to give myself a good ol' pat on le back. I completely crushed this goal this month. I posted 16 times [more than I've ever posted in 1 month] and last week posted 5 days in a row + this week I plan on posting everyday as well! Also, this month I was able to host 2 giveaways on my blog that I think went off amazingly + I hope you guys liked them! I am also super proud of my food photography skills and recipes I've created lately -- I have learned so much throughout these past few months of blogging and I cannot wait to learn even more as the months progress! Things are really starting to roll and I cannot explain how excited I am -- thank you for all of your support + kind words, they mean the world to me! [Oh, and to Peter, Madison and my Mom and Dad, thanks for being my guinea pigs ; ) ]

Now -- let's start off the month of patriotism with some goals! ; )

Goal #1

Eat a hearty breakfast every morning. I used to be a huge stickler for eating breakfast every day and then I started to be a huge stickler for sleeping. Eating breakfast has become a huge controversy in the nutrition world -- which is weird. There are tons of articles that say you MUST eat breakfast every day + there are also some that say DO NOT force yourself to eat breakfast if you are not a breakfast eater. I personally think eating breakfast is vitally important to my day. I always see a difference on days when I eat breakfast as opposed to days I do not. I find that I'm a lot happier [and nicer for that matter...] in the mornings if I have had a filling breakfast. This weekend, while I was at Peter's house, I made an amazing breakfast [avocado toast with turkey] before we worked out (recipe on the blog later this week). The great thing about it was I ate it around 8:30am and it held me over until 2pm... whattt? I also read something online that one way to "make yourself a morning person" was to plan an exciting breakfast for the morning, so you will be excited to wake up and start your day -- I like this idea : ) hmm.. what will I make for breakfast for tomorrow?

Goal #2

Listen more intently. I like to think of myself as a good listener. I also know myself to be a bad listener. I like to think of myself as the friend people go to when they have a problem and just want someone to listen to them + give them advice. But I find myself focusing too often on myself + what I am trying to say/do rather than what they are trying to tell me. I also am completely useless if I have my phone in my hand. If I am looking at something on my phone and you are talking to me, 9/10 times I have no clue what you said, and I do not like that. My goal for this month is to focus on other's before myself + to stop thinking that what I am currently doing on my phone [usually Instagram, Facebook or checking emails] or thinking about is more important than what this person has to say. [This is going to be challenging...]

Goal #3

Drink 5 water bottles a day. When I was studying for my Nutritional Science Final last Fall Semester one of the things we had to know was how to calculate someone's fluid needs. I decided to do mine and found that I need about 75 ounces of water/day. Normally I drink about 3 of my water bottles a day [pink Camelbak bottle in picture] that is 24 ounces per bottle [which equals 72 total ounces if I drink 3 a day]. My goal for this month is to strive to drink 5, 24 ounce, bottles of water/day to help keep my body hydrated and fit during this extremely hot summer. I should start counting how many times I go to the bathroom... because that'll be interesting.

Goal #4

Complete all CHAARG Booty Camp workouts. With the CHAARG Booty Camp into Week 2 [6 workouts a week] I am already starting to feel fitter + stronger. I will admit, yesterday I was not able to complete the workout because of a family event. And today I am helping Peter move into his new apartment... but when I get home tonight I WILL complete at least one of the workouts I missed and make up the other one this weekend.

Goal #5

Read some of my current book each day. Like I said early, I loved getting into the habit of getting to bed early and reading some of the current book I am on. I halfway completed this last month, but this time I definitely want to demolish it. This just means I will have to start getting to bed a little earlier and reading a little less if I am tired, for me it doesn't matter as to how much I read but to if I read or not.

Goal #6

Track myself everyday. I am currently reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. In it she mentions Benjamin Franklin and how he had a list of 13 Virtues he followed everyday. Each day he would check off whether he completed each one for that day or not. I love this idea, and decided I am going to do this, but with my monthly goals instead of virtues. I made a calendar with each goal listed on each day [picture below]. My goal is to before I go to bed check off whether I completed each goal or not and then at the end of the month tally up how many times out of 31 I completed it.
Here's what the calendar looks like -- I made this using Microsoft Publisher and it took me all of 3 minutes [ahh the beauty of copy and paste].

That's all for this month! I hope you'll join me and strive to be better than you were the day before, trust me, it feels amazing to strive to be your best!

And, I'll leave you with a little inspiration for the month.

I love this quote so much because for me, it's all about striving to be your best [whatever that may be for you]. I think it is saying that you never should give up on the person you want to be, because you still have time to become it. Because in reality, it's all up to you.